Minister visits Croatia ahead of EU accession

This news article was published under
the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Lord McNally visited Croatia to discuss the country’s accession to the European Union next year and the UK’s plans for reform.

Justice Minister Lord McNally visited Croatia to discuss the country’s accession to the European Union next year and the UK’s plans for reform of the European Court of Human Rights.

The minister gave a speech at the University of Zagreb, where he emphasised the UK’s support for Croatia’s accession to the EU.

Lord McNally said: “As a strong supporter of enlargement, let me say how very pleased the UK is with the results of your recent referendum.

“Croatia has been taking forward reform for over six years and judicial reform in particular has been at the centre of this. Tackling corruption, reforming legal systems and improving judicial practice are continuous processes and we fully appreciate how difficult they are, but also how important.”

He added: “Croatia is an example to the rest of the region that hard work and determination can produce results, and in this case, the prize of EU accession.”

Croatia will be the next country to accede to the EU. The Ministry of Justice has played a pivotal role in the Government’s assessment of rule of law standards in the country.